


Time Misspent

by sapphoatsunset



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:15:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23187616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphoatsunset/pseuds/sapphoatsunset
Summary: It’s 8th year and everyone is expecting Harry and Ginny to get together but instead, Ginny moves on and comes out as bisexual to the confusion of her friends.aka Five times Hermione played matchmaker and one time she didn’t.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Ginny Weasley
Comments: 2
Kudos: 86





	Time Misspent

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer** : Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
> 
> **Author's Notes** : For my lovely wife who recently got into fanfiction and requested this from me after buttering me up. All mistakes are my own.

**i.**  
Ginny sighed and flopped down on her bed. She was glad to be in her room with the other seventh years at Hogwarts and away from all the questions her family had leveled her way when she let it slip that she suspected she was bisexual. It had been a harmless statement in the middle of Sunday dinner--pork roast and potatoes to celebrate the war concluding--when she had finally had enough of listening to her mother plan her life complete with burial plots. 

_“Harry’s not my type. I’m into tall men and nerdy women.” Ginny muttered, frustrated and ready to throw her fork at the next person to suggest she was going to have a brood of children with Harry. The silence that followed her statement was louder than that howler Ron got in second year over the Ford Anglia incident. It was the lack of sound that precedes the most terrible of storms and the clouds that passed over her mother’s face were indication enough that she had royally pissed off the Weasley matron._

_“What do you mean, ‘not your type’?! You’ve never been this superficial, Ginevra Molly Weasley! I am... I...” Molly appeared unable to put her thoughts in order._

_“I mean: I want to be single and explore. How could I like Harry after all....you know...the leaving and heroism and disregard for me? Besides, I have someone I like. A girl. I’m bisexual, mum. You like her.” Ginny had replied._

_“Shh. I don’t want to hear another word. I will talk to you again when you are being sensible. Harry did so much for this country and the whole wizarding world. At least you could forgive and forget and make a mother happy by bringing me grandbabies! And if you’re bisexual, you can just choose to be with a man, a good man like Harry.” Molly said, eyebrows disappearing into her hairline in irritation before she sent Ginny away from the table._

The rest of the summer had been tense. She’d spent as much time as possible out on her broom, far away from her mother’s ire and the nosy eyes and ears of her brothers. Finally though, on her bed in Gryffindor, she was able to draw the curtains, cast a quick _Muffliato_ and cry in private. She’d never expected things to go so horribly, and she hadn’t even had a chance to tell anyone else on her own terms.

On the train to school, Ron had ruined things by outing her to Hermione and Neville and the rest of their friends, and Ginny hadn’t stayed to see the reaction. If Hermione, her best friend, looked at her differently now...Ginny didn’t know how she would handle it. Ginny just hadn’t been ready to tell Hermione, not when she’d been sitting there, so forlorn, talking about her parents’ slow recovery of their memories. Not when, Ginny remembered, the angle of the sun through the train window had bathed Hermione in a halo of light, highlighting her features and the slightly frizzy nature of her hair that Ginny found so tempting to touch. Not when she had wanted so desperately to kiss away Hermione’s frown.

Ginny’s heart ached and then stuttered to a stop.

“Ginny?”

Ginny heard Hermione’s voice right outside of her bed curtains and hurriedly brushed tears from her cheeks with the heel of her hand. “I--” Ginny cleared her throat, blushing over how scratchy her voice was.

“I’m here. Just needed a mo, ‘Mione.” Ginny finally choked out, but when Hermione was determined to protect someone, she just barrelled on ahead. This time, that meant that she was suddenly assaulted by light as her curtains were opened and a bushy head came into view. Shame she hadn’t secured those better...

“Ronald was an arse, like usual. No one feels differently about you, Gin. Come on... Everyone wants to see you and I thought you might like to meet someone. Did you know that Parvati’s a lesbian? Maybe... Well, you always seemed friendly...” Hermione said, finishing with an awkward twirl of her hand.

“I...” Ginny paused, and then shook her head. “No, I didn’t. I don’t think that she’s my type though... I’m into nerdy girls but not ones who think Trelawney was a good professor,” Ginny said with a short laugh. “I’ll be right down though. Maybe you can set Harry up with someone so my mum will get off my case.”

Hermione shook her head. “I think... I think Harry needs to figure that out on his own. Now, come on.”

“That figures.” Ginny sighed and stood, waiting for Hermione to lead the way.

**ii.**  
Ginny swung down from her broom and walked towards the locker rooms. All she wanted was a shower, a meal, and a quiet spot to sleep where she wouldn’t be bothered. Unfortunately, the unknowing object of her affection was standing in her way as she exited the field.

“‘Mione. Something wrong? You don’t normally come down to the field now that Harry’s too busy to play Quidditch.” Ginny said, pulling her hair off her neck and fanning herself while propping her broom against her body.

“No. Just a reminder that we all have that Charms exam on Friday. I organised a study group in the library if you want to join. We really should study, you know...” Hermione said.

“If we had it in the Room of Requirement, wouldn’t that be easier?” Ginny asked, thereby dooming herself to a few hours secretly pining. She disappeared into the locker room while Hermione sent out a message on the change of study group location. It was so tempting, in that moment, to run head on into the shower tiles and dash all her thoughts out of her head. If only that would work, but Ginny knew better. Her luck never went that way.

So, instead, she showered and changed back into her robes, tilting her head at Hermione who was still waiting when she exited. “Thought you were gonna go on ahead?”

“I wanted to walk with you and I knew you wouldn’t be long. You don’t keep me waiting like the boys do,” Hermione said softly, smiling fondly. 

Ginny nodded and started heading in the direction of the castle, ready for this study session to be concluded. She was tired and Hermione just looked too beautiful. The idea of watching her guide others through Charms was almost more than she could bear.

\--

“No, it’s like this. Swish, swish, swirl and flick.” Hermione corrected for what had to be the hundredth time. Ginny was watching her with a dreamy expression, soaking in the adept movements that made Hermione such an accomplished witch, the way she always wanted to help, and the way her eyes twinkled when someone finally got the movements correct.

Ginny was so preoccupied with watching that she didn’t notice Neville standing next to her until she heard a voice in her ear. 

“Your eyes look like Puffapod beans right now, bright and mesmerizing. I... I’m going to be pants at this flirting thing, aren’t I? Well, I just mean that I like you...” Neville said, growing more sheepish by the minute.

Ginny blushed and turned to look at him. “Oh, Neville... I... I’m sorry but... what is it they say in those Muggle movies Hermione likes? ‘It’s not you. It’s me.’ That’s it, right? Sorry... Friends still?”

“Oh, Hermione said... Oh... Oh, okay. Sorry, Gin. Yes, still friends.” Neville fumbled through an answer, and stepped away, leaving Ginny with no further distractions from the captivating sight of Hermione in professor mode. No distractions save for the confusion of Neville’s parting comments.

**iii.**  
Ginny was having a good morning; it seemed. There was a seat available right beside Hermione at breakfast, and she rushed over, sitting down quickly and grabbing some tea. 

“Morning,” Ginny said, and she thought Hermione was going to respond but then the other girl got distracted, waving Luna Lovegood over to sit in between them.

It was not such a good morning after all, and when she complained later, Hermione blinked innocently and said that she was just trying to be supportive. That Luna was very open minded and that they would look cute together. To which she retorted that they’d only look cute for so long as she could stand to listen to the dangers of Wrackspurts and the benefits of Spectrespecs during sex. Luna was a good friend, but they were better that way. As friends.

**iv.**  
Ginny’s last class had ended late--or perhaps she was merely late to leave. Professor Binns had droned on and on, and the bell to announce the conclusion of class had been somehow fainter as if coming from a distant tunnel.She’d had to shake herself a bit before getting up from her seat. 

She panted as she rushed into the greenhouse for Herbology. How she had let Hermione convince her to attend both Herbology and History of Magic was beyond her. 

The only empty seat remaining was next to Hannah Abbott, and when she saw Hermione grin, wink, and give her a not so subtle thumbs up, she groaned internally. This was not going to go well.

“Ginny,” Hannah said brightly, beaming at her. “I was so happy when Hermione said you wanted to sit together. I always thought you took this class for her... It’s so nice to know that after everything with the war and everything, we can still be friends. Remember when I thought Sirius was turning into a bush?” Hannah giggled sheepishly. 

Her suspicion was correct. Ginny sighed. Hermione was driving her crazy. But at least it didn’t seem like Hannah liked her in _that way_ or anything. Ginny smiled at Hannah. “Yeah, I remember. Hey, did I miss anything because I got here late? Maybe you can explain it to me...”

Ginny mentally slapped herself when it came out like a come on, but Hannah didn’t even blink. Crisis averted. Hannah was just too innocent for that, she supposed. Thankfully.

**v.**  
Ginny was putting the final touches on her hair. She had managed to curl it slightly so that it looked like she had spent the day at the beach with the wind wrapping her up in a hug of salt, warmth, and sea air. She was actually looking forward to this year’s winter formal because for the first time, she and Hermione would each be going stag. She was free to twirl around in laughing circles with her best friend until the wee hours of the morning. Above all else, she didn’t have to pretend to be happy with someone who wasn’t named Hermione.

“Gin, you coming down?” 

Ginny heard Hermione’s voice calling to her from the common room, and she smiled. “Yes,” she called, rushing down the stairs only to halt when she saw Hermione standing with her brother Ron and the boy she’d dated from Durmstrang. What had his name been? Oh. Viktor.

“Hermione?” Ginny raised an eyebrow. “What’s this? Dating Viktor again? I’m not going to the dance with my _brother_.”

Hermione laughed and shook her head. “No, silly. I know it might seem sudden but Ron couldn’t find a date and he kept whining about it, and I just got tired--”

“--Hey!” Ron interjected.

“Ron, hush!” Ginny said, terse. “Let her speak for once in your life.”

Hermione smiled, grateful. “Thank you. I just got tired of it, so I’m going with him, and I know we said we would go stag together like they do in _Pretty in Pink_. You know when Steff gets upset at Blane and... I digress. I can’t bear your brother’s whinging any longer.” Hermione paused and took a deep breath. “So, I found out Viktor was coming and Viktor’s gotten more attractive, don’t you think?” Hermione waved vaguely in the direction of the Bulgarian student.

Ginny smiled vaguely. It might have been more of a grimace; she wasn’t sure.

“Go with him, for me, yeah?” Hermione asked. 

It was the nail in the coffin. Ginny nodded and moved to Viktor, smiling as warmly as she could while watching her heart float away on a cloud of lavender tulle and her brother’s grating laugh.

The walk from the common room to the great hall passed in a haze. She knew distantly in the recesses of her mind that she had carried on a conversation with Viktor--probably about quidditch--but it was like the moment she stood in was frozen and isolated while everyone else zoomed about all around. Like she was in one of those photographs that catch the blur of movement as people rush through the metro and yet the photographer manages to focus in on one woman with her briefcase on her way to work. 

As they stepped inside the great hall, the glittering lights of a snowy starlit wonderland had her gasping and she clutched onto Hermione’s arm before Viktor pulled her away and onto the dance floor. It was a waltz and she felt like crying. Like raging. Like shoving Viktor as far from her as she physically could without the use of her magic.

She contained herself. She contained herself long enough for the final strains of the waltz on the violin to peal in her ear. Then, she acted.

**vi.**  
Ginny rushed over to the refreshments table where she saw Hermione. “‘Mione. It’s just not going to work! Viktor is not my type. None of them are...”

Hermione blushed and shook her head. “But you and Viktor have so many things in common. I don’t understand--”

Ginny shut her up. She leaned in and sealed their lips in a kiss, hard and urgent. It was borne of desperation and frustration and a kind of incomprehension that could not be contained any longer. How was it that Hermione hadn’t known? For all this time?

Ginny poured her very soul into the kiss, pulling back when she absolutely had to in order to breathe. Then she stared at Hermione, panting and blushing, and hoping that everything wasn’t completely ruined.

Hermione blinked. She laughed, and pulled Ginny in for a hug. “I...” She was speechless and Ginny felt her clinging. “You could have saved me a lot of time, you know. Precious studying time.”

Ginny grinned and pulled her in for another kiss before twirling them both onto the dance floor, leaving their dates staring at each other in shock, though Ron also had something like happiness in his eyes and it felt like this was the first time he approved of someone she liked. 

She kissed Hermione again, and thought she tasted of moonbeams while they danced to the icicle tinkle of bells and harps and violins until the sun began to peek up over the horizon and their feet nearly fell off. It felt like the beginning of everything.

**Fin.**


End file.
